


The Story of My Hell

by SarahJaneS



Series: The Story of Us After [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Complete, Fluff and Angst, Heavy Angst, M/M, Romantic Angst, Romantic Dean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-25
Updated: 2015-07-25
Packaged: 2018-04-11 03:56:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4420364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SarahJaneS/pseuds/SarahJaneS
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Now that Castiel has learned that Dean is not in heaven, will he be able to reach him in hell? And if he does, will he be able to find a way to uphold God's request to ensure Dean's safe passage into heaven? With any good deed, there is always a cost. Castiel will soon learn his.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Story of My Hell

The Angel Falling

          It was not easy to get into hell uninvited. Especially for an angel. Castiel knew of only two ways this was even possible and that was either by befriending a very powerful demon, or being vanquished by God. Fortunately, he had the later at his disposal.   
          All it took was a simple push, and Castiel was twisting, churning, plummeting from the sky. He tried to get air under his wings, to slow the speed in which he fell, but the wind pushed the feathers flat against him and Cas feared it he forced them open now, he would snap the delicate boning in the process. So instead he closed his eyes and prepared for the landing. This was for Dean. He would take strength in that.   
          His body slipped past the earth's surface with barely a passing glance, and fell into a place darker, and far more sinister. Castiel was not impressed. He had been in these places before, when he sought out Dean and his righteous soul. Or at least it was the soul he thought to be righteous before Chuck cleared up any confusion in the matter.   
          Since his rescue of Dean, Cas had visited hell one more time with the demon Crowley and saw the more ethereal aspects of the landscape. He was developing a pretty good understanding of what the place was capable of.   
          As Cas plummeted, he noted chains stretching across the red-black abyss all around him. His arms flailed out, trying to grasp onto the chains, and while he gained purchase enough to slow his fall, the screams that followed him caused him to wince.  
          People. The chains were somehow attached to people. Cas didn't want to hurt anyone. He didn't want to scar these human souls any more than what they have already underwent. But he had to stop, otherwise he could just keep falling forever. He had to stop. For Dean.   
          "Dean. Dean. Dean..." His voice did not sound like his own, and Cas reached out and gripped a chain in iron clenched fists. Screams erupted all around him as the chain gave way from whatever held it in place, and other chains followed suit. Castiel twisted within them as they wrapped around him in his tumble, and further binded him from using his wings. At last the angel crashed hard against a body that grunted from the impact, and Castiel was blessedly still.   
          He took a brief moment to catch his breath, and then he pushed at the chains that bound him; ignoring the tattered ends of hooks and flesh.   
          He glanced at the man that broke his fall, a naked blood streaked soul that wheezed around his now concave chest, and then looked away. He could not help these people and must not give in to the distraction they would cause. He reminded himself that each one earned their place in hell and that nothing he did could change that fate.   
Then he thought of Dean, who earned his place in hell as well, and his eyes drifted back to the bedraggled soul chained down to his own existence. Gently, sadly, Castiel lifted fingers to the soul's head and sent soothing images rippling through him to put him at rest. It would not last long, but at least for the next few hours, hell no longer existed to this man.   
          Castiel flexed his wings and gained his bearings. Tapping into just a thread of Grace, he manifested his angel sword and gripped it firmly in his hand. He didn't know what to expect, but he knew where to start looking.  
          Closing his eyes, Cas lifted his head and listened. At first he heard nothing, but after a few moments, he could pick up just the faintest notes of discord. Off in the distance, he heard Dean's soul. Cas turned and went towards it. 

The Angel Hunting

          It was at the edge of the soul farm that Castiel encountered his first demon. The lowly thing did not utter a word, he simply just saw Castiel and charged at him. Cas tried to sidestep the creature, but he was ravenous and unrelenting. Eventually, Cas was forced to place his blade in the creature's heart, and the demon collapsed lifeless to the ground. For there was a ground now.   
          Looking around, Castiel took in the view of a city. It could be nearly any city that coveted the earth upstairs, but the fact that it was near a dock limited the options. It almost seemed like a reflection of what was on earth, and perhaps this was part of the psychological landscape of hell. To settle a soul in a place that almost looked like his or her home, but then torture the comfort and security out of them; it must have been a lot fun for these demons.   
          Cas turned back to the place where the harbor should be, and saw just how big the soul farm was. It stretched countless bodies into the depths of space and time. All bodies were attached to a spider web of chains. This was where all the souls went until they were needed. It was such a horrible existence.   
          "Castiel?" A voice carried and Cas looked up the length of docks to where a shadowed figure stood. For one brief instant he thought it was Dean, but no, that soul was still far at from where he was standing.   
          "Who are you?" Cas called out and his voice sounded flat in his ears. The figure edged closer, and Cas gripped his sword warily.  
          "It is you, isn't it?" The man's voice called out to him. He edged into the light, just close enough that Cas could make out his features without being in striking distance of his sword. The male looked to be a stranger to him. For he was a male even outside of a human host.   
          "Do I know you?" Castiel asked while he struggled against everything within him telling him to kill the vial thing.   
          That was what had gotten his garrison killed on their rescue of Dean the first time. Too many ran off to kill the demons their instincts commanded them to kill, and were overrun for their efforts.   
          "No...but I know you," the demon said with a sneer. "When word gets around that the angel who locked us all down here is running around our streets, you're going to die so slowly. And in such glorious agony." Castiel suddenly lunged forward and plunged his blade deep into the demon's chest. He threw his head back, but only a bubbling whimpered escaped him before he slid off the blade and onto the ground. Cas had to kill the demon to avoid detection.   
          Glancing around, Castiel stepped into the shadows. This was worse than he thought. The spell he had taken part in so many years ago, causing demons to gain permission before entering a host body, plummeted their earth numbers to a small trickle. The demon that was there that day, the one who saw his face, knew his name, and almost killed Dean, must have spread the word to all his companions. Castiel was a wanted man.   
          Castiel glanced down and was surprised to see he still wore the suit from his wedding. He left it, but when his eyes fell on the heavy black trench coat his new demon friend wore. He wrenched the coat free, and slid it over his body, essentially tucking his wings away unseen within. He would have to go the rest of the way on foot to avoid detection. Wiping the blood off of his sword on the demon corpse, he tucked it up his sleeve and continued toward the direction of Dean's soul.   
          He kept to the shadows and alleyways, snaking ever deeper into the city, and managed to get by with minimal detection. He stumbled upon two demons fornicating in the alley but was able to bypass them without disturbance. Another time, he took out a group of three thugs when one stopped to look at him just a little too long in their passing. Other than that, he remained undetected.  
          Dean's soul flickered and wavered, burning bright and then dying to a dull glow, before smoldering again. No matter the level of intensity, Cas could tell that he writhed in pain. It worked under Castiel's skin and made him want to claw at his face. He desperately needed to reach Dean but he couldn't risk rushing forward and getting himself killed. The feeling made him clench his fists and keen softly under his breath. The only thing that kept him from curling into a ball and crying from the intensity of the pain was his growing desire to end the life of every single demon that was hurting the man that he loved. Sensing his closeness, he would soon have the chance.   
          Rounding a corner, Castiel's eyes fell upon a large warehouse midway down the narrow street. No guards outside, with nothing to guard against, but he could sense Dean and knew he was definitely within. Cas took in the structure in its entirety and he noted a row of narrow windows along the top of the building. He supposed on earth they would be beneficial for natural lighting, but in this place the only purpose they served was to allow him a way in.   
          Pushing his wings incorporeally through his jacket, Castiel lifted off the ground and in an instant was suspended outside the windows. Dozens of demons were laying around the warehouse floor. They looked relaxed, and almost drunk with pleasure. Standing within, a separate entity from the creatures, stood a replica of Bobby Singer's house.   
          Castiel fumed. Fury blazed behind his ice blue eyes and stretched the length of his wings. Never before has he felt this level of anger. This utter disgust for the offspring of his oldest brother's fall from grace. Without thought, without word, he finally allowed himself to give in to the growing need to kill. To salve his burning skin in demon blood. As a smile spread across his face, Castiel slipped inside. 

The Angel Avenging

          Castiel could hear Dean screaming. Could hear the slice of a blade. He could hear the wet sounds of a body being filet and put back together again, but he pushed all of that to the back of his mind before allowing panic to take hold of him. Scanning the room, he took in about forty demons that moaned and writhed under the sounds of his lover's screams. Cas swallowed back the bile of his disgust. They were getting off on it.   
          Landing softly among them, they did not notice him at first. Cas stripped away his trench coat and held it gripped in his left hand while his sword was poised in his right. The blue vest of his wedding suit offered a slash of color in the dim red glow of the room. The burning blue of his eyes supplied the rest.   
          "Are we going to fight, vermin, or are you merely going to die?" His voice boomed around the room and all demons came to full attention. A voice in his mind mentioned that stealth might have been the better approach but Castiel pushed the thought aside. His fury need slaked and these demons needed to suffer. He would not be satisfied stabbing them in the back.   
          "It's Castiel!" One demon shouted and Cas's grin spread to his eyes.   
          "Yes," he hissed, "the angel you have all been dying to kill. So come and get me, abominations. Let's see if you can find purchase in your efforts." Some of the demons edged to their feet, and yet they hesitated to approach. Fine, let them fear him then. Spreading his wings to their fullest expanse, Castiel took two steps forward and drove his blade into a demon's throat. This spurred them to action.   
          Demons ran at him with full abandon. Castiel slashed at the air between them with his coat to catch them off guard and then stabbed with his blade to extinguish three more demon lives.  
          His wings flapped behind him like a shield to protect his flank and Castiel turned, ducking, just as another demon swung a piece of wood towards where his head had been. Castiel took the creature out with a sword to his gut.   
          Collapsing his wings, Cas slinked behind the growing circle of demons, and stabbed another two, one in the ribs, the other in his hamstring. He twisted to face the collective crowd, noting no others flanked him, and spread his wings wide once more.   
          One night, long ago, he and Dean had watched a nature show illustrating the life aspects of lizards. Castiel remembered how one lizard would expand his neck skin to impress both mates and scare off potential foes. Castiel thought it an effective method of intimidation. His wings, glorious and black, shook at his command and emitted a soft sound like rustling leaves. Or a rattlesnake tail.  
          The demons hesitated, then one thought to be brave and lunged at Castiel. He slid his blade across the creature's throat.   
          "Spread out! He's got us flocked together like sheep!"   
          And sheep they are, Castiel thought with a grin. Some fool demons took the advice, spreading away from the mass. Cas used his wings to shift towards them, faster than light, and caught the one off guard with a whip of his trench coat while he slid his sword into the other ones chin. Realizing his overconfidence too late, Castiel winced as a dagger slid between his ribs. He had gotten too close to the throng.   
          Using his trench to keep more from advancing, Castiel took a step back and squared off with his foes. His Grace made quick work in healing the damage done to his vessel but it did not change the turn of the crowd. The remaining demons realized that the angel could be hurt; could be killed.   
          "Take him down," one screamed and all of them charged at him at once. Cas shifted on his wings, sliced into a nearby demon, and then he twirled around the lot of them to flank. When he paused, he noted another demon had enough intelligence to meet him there and the creature lunged at him with a knife. Castiel whipped his coat around the things arm and then buried his blade into the demon's soft underbelly. When the trench coat snagged on the demon's blade, refusing to come free, Castiel discarded it and turned to slash another demon in the back of his neck before he had a chance to turn; essentially severing his spine.   
          Still so many. Too many. Cas thought against smiting with his Grace. It would essentially turn into a homing beacon, attracting demons from blocks around to his energy. Glancing down, he noted blood pooling around his shoes from the demons he had slain, and Cas got an idea. He grabbed at a demon, floundering to reach him, and stabbed him as he disarmed him of the machete he was carrying. Cas then shifted through space on his lithe wings and brought the machete down on another demons outstretched arm; cleaving it from the body.   
          Bending, he grabbed the arm from the dusty warehouse floor before shifting space again to travel out of harm's way. Fluttering his wings, spreading them wide, he intimidated his prey into submission. They rolled over each other, some backing away, some moving forward, but none going in for the strike. Castiel ran around them, dragging the dripping arm with him in a circle. Then he lunged through them, slashing wildly as he went.   
          "Stop him! He's forming a trap!"   
          The demons were not so caught off guard with his next passage through and one sliced into his arm while another plunged a blade into his thigh. Castiel hissed from the pain and twisted on the other side of the group to face them. A few took a step forward but he spread his wings and shook them. Those few held back. Cas would have to compliment his father on the brilliant creation of the lizard if he survived the return.   
          Dropping the arm, Cas carefully reached and wrenched the blade free with a grunt. A demon broke free to attack him but Cas threw the blade into the creature's eye. No time to heal. Had to move. Picking up the discarded arm, Cas continued to trail blood for his demon trap. He picked off the daring ones, but he kept them as tightly together as possible. Like sheep in a flock.   
          "Get out of here!" One demon shouted and Cas gritted his teeth. He was almost done. "We got to get out of here!" Just as Cas completed to trap, five demons broke free and stared for the door in a run. Cas shifted to stab one through his lungs, but the other four pressed ahead, spanning the distance between them. He had no time. They would go. They would find others. They would be back.   
          Cas bent in a crouch and then lifted off the ground with his wings. He soared to where the others ran and dove into them. Three fell, and Cas turned, grabbing the fourth with his blood slicked fingers, and surged Grace into the creature to smite him. The others burned beneath him and the sound of their screams satisfied that deep feral part of him that yearned for revenge.   
          He knew he didn't have much time now. More would come, sensing his release. Castiel turned and glared at the remaining demons enclosed in their trap. Some glared at him, others trembled, and one openly wept.   
          He should let them go. Let their brothers and sisters find the best punishment for their failure. But Cas thought of Dean's pain. The way his soul pulsed and howled and the way these demons enjoyed it. Even now he could hear Dean's raspy screams from within the house that looked like their home. Reaching out,           Cas grabbed a demon by the throat.   
          "Do you hear that?" He growled, "Do you hear what you have done?"   
          The demon smiled at Cas as his eyes rolled in his head.   
          "So sweet," he whispered, and Castiel ran him through. Cas ran them all through. No sheep left standing to tell the tale of their destruction. 

The Angel Despairing

          Cas stepped up to the door to the house that was not his home and looked himself over. He looked disgusting. Blood sprayed across his body and face; dripped from his wings; pooled in his shoes. He could taste the copper of it in his mouth, feel it saturate his hair, and bite hot into the cut in his thigh. He had no time to do anything about it. More demons would be coming soon and he had to get out.   
          Turning the knob to the door, Castiel slipped inside. The room they pulled from Dean's memories, but the table in the middle was new. A stainless steel contraption fitted with leather straps, it sat next to a smaller work bench adorned with any twisted implement of torture imaginable.  
          And there, upon the table with his soul burning like fire, laid Dean. He was openly weeping and covered in his own blood as he stared terrified at his captor. His captor, was a grinning copy of Castiel. New found rage burned scorching hot in Cas and he lunged at the demon who had his face.   
          The creature had no time to react as Cas laid his hands upon it, and he threw all his Grace at the monster. He did not just burn out the demons eyes, he melted its face entirely. Turning, Cas's breath caught as he looked down at Dean.   
          Dean. His Dean. Who has laid in this house on this table for an eternity as a demon masquerading as his lover, sliced pieces off of him and then put him back together again. Cas reached out, touched tender fingers to the man's face, and Dean screamed.   
          "Please, no more. No more. I can't take the pain. Please! Please!"  
          "Dean, it's me. It's Castiel." But it was no use. The moment he spoke Dean screamed even louder and his words fell into the gibberish of insanity. Cas could feel his heart breaking. He hated everyone and everything in hell for what they had done to Dean.   
          Gently channeling Grace into the man he loved, Cas sent soothing images through Dean's head and coaxed him to sleep. When he quieted, Cas worked free the straps that bound him and winced at the angry scars that were worn into his wrists and ankles from all his struggling.   
          Cas healed the wounds on Dean's soul as best he could, and then scooped the man up into his arms. He left the house just as more demons burst into the warehouse outside. Channeling Grace through his wings, Cas made quick work of removing the blood from them and then took off into the air. The demons lunged at him but he was still spry in spite of the creeping exhaustion threatening to do him in. He had to find a place to hide and to heal.   
          Slipping out of the warehouse, Cas flew over the city. He soared like a rocket out into the night and plummeted into the depth of the woods. Hellhounds would be here, but if Cas set up wards, it should be enough to hold them off from being detected for a few hours.   
          Cas used his remaining strength to heal his cut and clean his body. He cleaned Dean's as well, naked and scarred, of any residual blood from his tortures.   
          Setting up the wards, Castiel slumped against a tree, too drained to do more. Reaching weakly towards Dean, he pulled the man towards him and shielded him in a gentle embrace. Resting his cheek against Dean's soft hair, Castiel welcomed the darkness of unconsciousness. 

          Castiel awoke to hands around his neck. Dean was leaning over him, choking him.  
          "De-" Cas tried, but the words died in his throat. He didn't want to hurt Dean; never wanted to hurt Dean, so he was as gentle as he could be when he pushed the man away. Dean rolled with the push, years of hunter instincts bred into him, and came up with Cas's angel sword in his hand. Now when the hell did he nab that?   
          "Dean, please, listen to me," Cas began.   
          "The hell I will," Dean snarled and lunged his naked body at Cas full force. Cas gripped at the hand that held the sword, and wrenched the blade free. Dean cried out and Cas immediately recoiled.   
          "Dean I'm so sorry. I don't want to hurt you." Dean's fist connected with Castiel's jaw full force, and Cas fell backwards in surprise.   
          "How many times are we going to do this, shitface?" Dean growled as he scrambled to reach the angel sword again. Castiel spun a thread of Grace around it and the blade winked out of existence.   
          Dean, ever the opportunist, grabbed a rock instead and brought it full force against Cas's jaw. "You can rape me," he brought the rock down on Castiel's face again, "torture me," and again "break every bone I have!" Cas struggled to grab Dean's arm but he spun and threw the rock at Cas's temple causing him to see stars. "I'm not going to torture souls for you. Never again!" Dean lunged at Cas and pressed his thumbs hard against the angel's eyes. Cas reached up and touched Dean's forehead, sending him images and putting him to sleep. Dean instantly collapsed, and slumped to the side unconscious.   
          Castiel sighed. He used Grace to correct his broken nose. His broken jaw. His fractured cheekbone. Then he sat up and looked at Dean. Sadness and despair welled in Castiel and he ran gentle fingers along Dean's stretched ribs. What had they done to him? All these horrible things that were always behind the mask of Castiel’s grinning face. Could Dean recover from this? Would be ever be able to look at Cas with love again?   
          Hot tears stung at his eyes and Castiel scrubbed them away. No time for him to feel sorry for himself. He needed to get to Lucifer's cage and speak with Michael. He knew where it was from watching them both plummet into it so many years ago. Lifting Dean's sleeping soul into his arms, Cas rose into the sky and flew towards the center of hell. 

The Angel Redeeming

          "Well if it isn't our old pal, Castiel!" Lucifer shouted from within the pit, "Come down here so I can strangle you!" Castiel landed with a soft flourish of feather and gently laid Dean to the ground. He spent a moment to run one gentle finger down the length of Dean's cheek, and then turned to face his two older brothers. Cas swallowed hard but refused to show his trepidation on his face.   
          He approached the small barred window where Lucifer grinned up at him, and turned to survey the sky above them.  
          "Interesting... you have a clear view of heaven from here," Castiel said casually and Lucifer's smile vanished.   
          "Don't you think our father built it that way on purpose Castiel?" He snarled. Cas glanced down at his older brother and saw something in Lucifer's eyes before the angel masked it again. Lucifer hated him. Absolutely despised him. Castiel could understand why, certainly, but it still surprised him that the hate was so personal.   
          "I came here to speak with Michael," Cas demanded and Lucifer threw his head back in laughter.   
          "Of course you do!" He bellowed and then pressed his face tight against the bars in a sneer. "Michael is dead!" An instant later, Lucifer was whisked away from the bars and thrown into something in the abysmal darkness within with a loud clatter. The vessel once known as Adam, Dean's brother, appeared in the opening of the cage.   
          "Hello, Castiel," he said calmly, "please forgive our brother's rudeness."  
          "Adam... you're still wearing his vessel."   
          "Of course I am, Castiel. How else could I protect him from Lucifer's wrath? Is it not God's will to protect all humans? At the cost of our own happiness?" Castiel turned and glanced at Dean, still sleeping against hell's dirt. "Why are you here, Castiel?"   
          "I...I came to free you," Cas said softly.   
          "Yes!" A voice called out and Michael was thrown to the side as Lucifer's smiling face returned to the window. "Please, Castiel. Let us out so I can rip you limb from limb and then lay into that boy toy human of yours." Castiel stiffened and Lucifer's grin spread wider.   
          "I told the boys down stairs to go extra slow with him. You should hear the stories they tell me! The way he begged. The way he cried out for you to rescue him..." Lucifer got close, pressing his face hard against the bars, and spoke low to Cas, conspiratorially. "But when we got the idea to have a demon to look like you," Lucifer whistled through his teeth, "That's when the real fun started. We'd build him up and tear him down over and over. Rescue him then betray him. Let him believe that, no, it's really you this time, then gouge out his eyes. We worked him until his hope was smashed into nothing but dust."  
          "Enough!" Castiel shouted. Closing his eyes, he struggled to will the words away. He struggled to steady his breath and still his trembling hands. Lucifer's chuckle sounded like a dry wheeze.  
          "He hates you, Castiel," Lucifer cooed, "he hates you for leaving him here. In hell. With me." Lucifer's laughter echoed all around them and the angel didn't even struggle when Michael cast him to the side to take his place. Cas fought to not give in to despair. He should have known they would use Dean's love for him against the man. He should have known how it would change him. When Michael looked up at him, his eyes were filled with sadness.  
          "Is it true?" Castiel whispered and Michael looked away. Cas scrubbed at his face. "I have to get you out of here. Father agreed to let Dean into heaven if I set you free to return home with him."   
          "You know I can't do that, Castiel," Michael said sadly, "I can't let Lucifer out of here too." Castiel bit his lip and looked over at Dean once more. He thought about what Michael had said. That they had to protect humans at the expense of their own happiness.   
          "Let me talk to Lucifer," Castiel said softly, and Michael faded into the darkness.   
          "Castiel," Lucifer said, a thorny edge to his voice, "for what do I owe the pleasure?" His face waded up the surface and he sneered.  
          "You are going to let Michael go free," Cas demanded and Lucifer threw his head back in laughter. His laughter seemed to go on and on as he wiped jubilant tears from his eyes.   
          "Oh do tell, dear brother," he managed between giggles, "why would I do such a thing as that?"   
          "Because," Castiel said with a long sigh, "I'll take his place." Lucifer's laughter stopped cold. He looked up and his eyes met with Cas's, staring. Cold hatred burned in those eyes and Cas fought the urge to look away.  
          "Well..." Lucifer said softly as a slow smile spread across his face. "That's an interesting thought. A new cell mate to...play with." Cas swallowed against the dryness in his throat but still he didn't look away. "How do I know this isn't a trick?" Lucifer baited.  
          "You have my word," Cas said just as softly, “which unlike from you, means something." Lucifer grinned wider and his fingers crept up to cling to the bars of his cell.   
          "I like the idea of having you in the pit. Michael has become so boring. But the things I could do to you. The wonderful, painful things... I think we have a deal, Castiel. Come join the party." Cas pressed his lips together tightly to keep them from quivering.   
          "If we are agreed, then I should put you under...until this is done...So you don't try to trick me." Lucifer grinned and pressed his forehead hard against the bars.   
          "Do it then," he growled and Castiel's fingers trembled as he touched them to Lucifer's skin. The angel closed his eyes and fell backwards in a deep sleep.

The Angel Sacrificing

          Cas used his angel blade in the lock of the cage. The blade snapped in the process, which Chuck said would probably happen, but Cas didn't need it where he was going anyway. If he had an angel blade, Lucifer could easily overpower him and take it. Cas could not comprehend the levels of torture a creative mind could invent with an angel blade in hand.   
          When the cage shifted with a soft click, Michael pushed at the door and stepped into freedom. He smiled at Castiel who looked at his hands as tears spilled down his face.   
          "Castiel," he said softly, “brother...I cannot thank you enough for this."  
          "I don't need your thanks just...just make sure he's safe," Cas said as he glanced at Dean and Michael nodded.   
          Cas looked back at his brother and held Michael's gaze. "I need you to do one more thing for me, brother. I'm not...I'm not strong enough to do it myself."   
          "Anything," Michael said calmly. Cas looked at Dean once more.  
          "Erase his memories if this place. Erase every memory he has of me. I can't have him coming back here and getting himself killed trying to rescue me. He can't know who I am to him anymore." Michael blinked in surprise, but then his face softened into a smile.   
          "Protect all humans..." He said softly.   
          "...at the cost of our own happiness," Castiel finished and more tears fell down his cheeks.   
          Michael turned and leaned over Dean. He gently touched fingers to the man's head and Dean gasped from the glow of his holy embrace. Opening his eyes, Dean peered up at Michael standing over him.   
          "Where...am I?" Dean asked softly and Michael pulled him to his feet.   
          "You are dead, Dean, and I am here to take you to heaven." Michael snapped his fingers and Dean looked down to see he was fully clothed in his usually faded denim and dusty flannel.   
          "Well that's...great! Is Sam alright?"  
          "Sam is well. Sam is happy," Michael said and Dean smiled. He turned then to follow the angel but movement caught his eye. Looking back, his eyes found Cas.  
          "Hello," he said pleasantly, "are you coming too?"   
          "No..." Cas said softly, and his smile pushed more tears from his eyes. "No, I have to stay here. I gave my word." Dean hesitated a moment and then walked towards Castiel.   
          Cas held his breath and his body trembled as Dean closed the space between them. His hooded eyes met Cas's wide teary ones and Dean reached out with gentle knowing fingers to tug Castiel's tie straight.  
          "Good luck, buddy," he said and clapped Cas on the shoulder.   
          "You too," Cas whispered as he watched Dean walk away. He lowered himself gingerly into the cage and Michael closed the lid over him. Cas could hear the loud clack of ancient magic warded bars slipping back into place, and he sought out the small windowed opening.   
          His cold fingers slipped around the bars and Castiel wept. He watched as Dean was lifted in Michael's arms and Cas realized his tears were those of happiness. Dean was safe. Dean was where he would be protected and in the end, that was all that mattered.   
          Lifting his clear blue eyes up to the sky, Cas watched Dean ascend into heaven. He quietly hoped that the man he loved didn't look back to see him crying so far down below.   
          And by some small mercy, Dean never did.

The End.


End file.
